With his third UFC appearance just days away, Ildemar Alcantara is beginning to accept the fact he belongs in the world’s premier MMA organization.

Alcantara’s first two trips to the octagon were successful; however, with his debut coming out of his natural weight class on short notice and an opponent switch plaguing his sophomore bout, the path to this point has been a bumpy one for the 30-year-old.

As his third UFC fight approaches, though, Alcantara (19-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has experienced a drama-free camp for the first time since joining the UFC and feels everything has finally come together ahead of Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 29 bout against fellow welterweight Igor Araujo (23-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC). The preliminary-card bout airs on FOX Sports 1 from Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I feel very much at home,” Alcantara told MMAjunkie.com of his comfort level in the UFC. “I started at 205 pounds, but I already successfully moved to 170 pounds, and now I feel I am even more comfortable to put my game into play.”

After accepting, and then winning, his first UFC fight against Wagner Prado earlier this year as a light heavyweight, Alcantara moved back down to his natural weight class of welterweight (skipping middleweight completely) for his second contest with the promotion.

He looked sharp in defeating injury replacement Leandro Silva this past June, and with the victory he proved his combination of size, strength and skill will be a difficult challenge for anyone.

On paper, it would seem Araujo is the superior grappler, and while Alcantara feels he can more than hold his own if the fight hits the mat, he admits he’ll look to keep it standing if possible.

“I am also a jiu-jitsu black belt,” Alcantara said. “If we go to the ground, jiu-jitsu is a chess game. So it’s best to attack his weaknesses and to go for the knockout.”

Alcantara’s first two UFC bouts have taken place in his home country of Brazil, and Wednesday’s contest will be no different.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian, his next opponent, much like his previous two, is one of his fellow countrymen.

Alcantara has no problem facing fighters from his native country, but with Brazilians fighting foreigners being such a common trend for the UFC’s Brazilian events, “Marajo” is hoping his next matchup will be different.

“Next time I hope to face a non-Brazilian and also to fight outside Brazil,” Alcantara said. “The best scenario, of course, would be to face a foreigner in Brazil so the crowd’s all on my side.”

Nevertheless, Alcantara is focused on the task at hand and backed by the preparation of a full training camp for a fight at his natural weight class. He expects the type of performance that will force spectators to remember his name.

“I think this fight will prove who Ildemar is,” Alcantara said. “Now it’s a matter of putting into practice everything I’ve learned over the past years.

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